Many researchers in management or in history of management often work on best sellers whereas the interest of such books could seem limited. This article tries to explain the reasons of the success. We have studied the historical case of the book of Eugène Léautey and Adolphe Guilbault, La...

When did the word comptabilité (accounting) appeared ? Which have been its different meanings? Those are the two questions addressed here. Drawing from accounting text- books and dictionaries, we try to describe and explain the emergence of the word after 1750, the competition with tenue des...

In the French language, the word comptabiliteacute (accounting) first appeared in the middle of the eighteenth century. It was used in the Royal finances and its first meaning was that of accountability. Until the middle of the nineteenth century, or thereabouts, the uses of the word evolved...